Winter 2007 Preview!

Though there may not be much going on this and next week as we celebrate the new year, things will get busy again once the Winter 2007 season kicks off. Before we get started on all the upcoming shows, a few notes. I am once again not specifically saying what I am and am not going to watch. As usual, I’ll watch the first episode of almost every show within certain parameters (in other words, probably not the kiddie shows like Pokémon or Pretty Cure). What I will say is what the odds are of me blogging a show. However, even if chances are good that I’ll blog the first episode of a series, that doesn’t mean I’ll stick with it for more than that. Certain days of the week – Thursdays and Saturdays – have always had too many interesting shows, and I have to ultimately make a decision on what to follow and what not to. Because I have so many shows that are continuing from the fall, there can only be so many new series that I can afford the time to pick up.

Technical Note: All times are given in a 24-hour, relative-day format where times are extended to show which day they belong to. For instance, Friday morning at 1:30AM would become Thursday at 25:30 to show that the episode aired late Thursday night.

Saint Octoberhttp://www.konami.jp/visual/saintoctober/
Premieres January 4th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:55
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 11:55
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
I think it’s a bad sign that the commercial for this series started out with “White loli, black loli, red loli…” That just made me laugh, but not in a good way. I think I even saw a Tuxedo Mask in there. The website had me intrigued, but the commercial definitely made it clear that this 3-girl detective show wasn’t for me. And that’s not even considering that this is airing on Thursdays, meaning that it’d have to be an incredible series for me to add to the current GEASS and Kanon lineup.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Kyoushirou to Towa no Sorahttp://www.kyoshiro-sora.net/ Premieres January 5th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 13:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 23:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
You may remember me talking about it earlier this month and the Kannazuki no Miko connections that it has. That alone is enough to get me to watch it, but Megami magazine spreads like this or this don’t hurt either. The story is about a girl named Shiratori Ku who has a dream about a prince and then actually meets that prince in real life. Somewhere along the line they’ll likely work in plenty of fanservice/semi-yuri and mecha action. I’m honestly trying to keep my expectations low so that I don’t disappoint myself in case this doesn’t live up to KnM’s legacy. It’s just a shame that KOTOKO isn’t doing the OP or ED, which are apparently being handled by CooRie and Ceui, respectively.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Koi suru Tenshi Angelique ~ Kagayaki no Ashita ~http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/neoromance/tv/ange/ Premieres January 5th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Fridays at 11:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
I don’t know how many people watched the first Angelique series this past summer, but I wasn’t one of them. I’ve got nothing against this type of girl-surrounded-by-many-Bishounen series – it’s just not for me.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Deltora Questhttp://www.deltoraquest.jp/
Premieres January 6th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 8:00
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Fridays at 18:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
At first glance, I dismissed this series as Saturday morning kiddie fodder, but more research showed there’s actually some interesting background on it. This anime is based on a set of books by the same name written by award-winning Australian author Emily Rodda. TV Aichi’s website for the series offers a trio of videos (click the orange colored boxes in the middle and on the bottom of the page) about the show, including an interesting interview with Emily Rodda herself. Those videos showed some decent animation, some bad-looking CG, a story about looking for artifacts to defeat a greater evil that didn’t look very original, but one of the videos did have some rather epic/Final Fantasy-sounding music (the one on the bottom of the page). All this doesn’t mean that Deltora Quest won’t turn out to be a kiddie show anyway, but at least there appears to be a good basis for it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Himawari!!http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/himawari2/
Premieres January 6th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 24:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Saturdays at 10:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Here’s another series that I didn’t watch the first season of (notice that the difference between this show’s title and the previous show is a single exclamation mark), though I did manage a couple of episodes before I stopped. The new website did raise my interest level a little since Himawari looked cooler and more mature, but then I saw the commercial for the show and everything seemed like the same as before. The show is still about ninjas, and I highly doubt I’ll watch it given that what I saw of the first season didn’t interest me enough.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Les Misérables Shoujo Cosettehttp://www.nippon-animation.co.jp/lesmise/
Premieres January 7th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 19:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Sundays at 5:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
After almost ten years off the air, World Masterpiece Theater is coming back with a 52-episode adaptation of Victor Hugo’s famous Les Misérables. The focus here seems to be more on Cosette than Jean Valjean, and I’m very curious to see how they’ll handle this type of story. At the same time, 52 episodes seems like a lot for them to do, even with all 1400+ pages of the novel (not all of which is usable for an anime of this nature). All things considered, odds are good that I won’t be watching this on Sundays and will instead be watching…
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

SHUFFLE! MEMORIEShttp://www.shuffle-tv.com/
Premieres January 7th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:00
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Sundays at 10:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
…SHUFFLE! MEMORIES. This is being billed as a director’s cut of the show with new OP and ED, and they’re promising to include a new original story. It’s not clear how much of it they’ll be reusing and what all is going to be new, but since I liked SHUFFLE!, this is definitely worth me watching at least a few episodes to see what direction they might be taking it. The entire cast is coming back too, so it’ll be good to hear everyone again, particularly Sugita Tomokazu as Rin and Gotou Yuuko as Kaede. Oh, and have you seen the huge magazine spread of Asa from this month’s Megami?
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!http://www.ufotable.com/manabi/
Premieres January 7th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Sundays at 11:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Of course if SHUFFLE! MEMORIES doesn’t work out, then there’s always Manabi Straight. The story takes place in the year 2035 when birthrates have dropped so much that high schools are being forced to close because of the decrease of students. Horie Yui’s main character Manami (aka. Manabi) arrives at one particular high school and starts stirring things up. There’s something about a moeseinen series that has me very intrigued and incredibly excited, especially after seeing all the amazing promotional videos that came with the character CDs these past few months. ufotable is handling the animation production and the cast consists of big names including Horie Yui, Nonoka Ai, and Hirano Aya. If any of this sounds interesting, be sure to check out all the promotional material that’s already on YouTube.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Master of Epic: The Animation Agehttp://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/moetaa/
Premieres January 7th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 26:00
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Sundays at 12:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
This is based off an an MMORPG of the same name. I haven’t had very good luck with similar series (Ragnarok and .hack), and from the commercial, it looks like a generic fantasy show that probably won’t interest me very much. With all the other stuff being shown on Sundays, I just can’t see myself watching Master of Epic.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Nodame Cantabilehttp://www.nodame-anime.com/
Premieres January 11th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 24:45
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 10:45
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Nodame Cantabile is the story of a guy who aspires to be a conductor and the free-spirited, piano-playing girl who attaches herself to him. If you’ve read the manga or seen the television drama, you probably already know how good of a series this is. As I mentioned before, the anime version is going to have Kawasumi Ayako voicing Nodame, Seki Tomokazu voicing Chiaki, and Noto Mamiko voicing Sakura. It’s being animated by J.C.STAFF and being directed by Kasai Kenichi (aka. the director of Honey and Clover) for FujiTV’s Noitamina block replacing Hataraki-Man. I’ve got high expectations for the quality of the music that goes into this show (the Nodame Orchestra CD reached #7 on the Oricon charts), and it’ll be interesting to see how close they stick with the still-ongoing manga. As much as I abhor picking up a third Thursday series, there’s just no way I can let this one go.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Hidamari Sketchhttp://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/hidamari/
Premieres January 11th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:25
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 11:25
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Hidamari Sketch is about a girl named Yuno who enters the art department of a private high school and the friends she makes as she pursues her dream. Fans of Pani Poni Dash! and Negima!? should take note that this show is being animated by SHAFT and directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. Given the director and given the fact that Hidamari Sketch started out as a 4-koma, I expect this to have a lot of comedy. Unfortunately, I doubt that I’ll have the time to blog this series, particularly if I end up picking up Nodame Cantabile.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Venus Versus Virushttp://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/vvv/
Premieres January 11th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:55
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 11:55
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
This show is about two girls who fight demons called Viruses. The girl with the eyepatch Lucia runs an antique shop called Venus Vanguard, hence the show is named Venus Versus Virus. The commercial for it – the one from the end of Rozen Maiden Overture – shows some pretty good looking animation courtesy of Studio Hibari, and it gave me Karin and Black Cat vibes for whatever reason. For what it’s worth though, VVV has some of the same staff as Tsuyokiss – director Kimura Shinichiro, character designer Agata Yoshimi, and Yamada Yasutomo in charge of series composition. Under different circumstances (ie. Thursdays without CODE GEASS, Kanon, and potentially Nodame Cantabile), this would get pretty high odds at getting blogged, but since this is airing on Thursdays, I can only say it’s got a decent chance.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Getsumen To Heiki Minahttp://www.mi-na.jp/
Premieres January 13th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 25:45
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Saturdays at 11:45
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
If nothing else, Mina has a pretty colorful history. Way back in the early 80s, Gainax (then Daicon Film) created a short called Daicon IV which featured a bunny girl doing battle. This became somewhat of a legendary film and was paid homage to some 20-odd years later in the opening sequence of the super-popular Densha Otoko drama, created by GONZO. The bunny girl that GONZO used was named Mina and was featured quite prominently throughout the Densha Otoko series. The character of and the merchandise around Mina became so popular and the demand was so high that GONZO decided to create an actual anime about her. As for the actual plot, Mina is a high school sports announcer who accidentally gets involved with space aliens. Somewhere along the line, she gets powers and transformed into a bunny girl who has carrot weapons. I can’t say much for the story, but since I’m well-acquainted with the Densha Otoko series, I’m very interested in seeing how this turns out.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

GR -GIANT ROBO-http://gr-anime.com/
Premieres January 18th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 24:00
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 10:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
This is the 13 episode series being made in commemoration of the forty year anniversary of the beginning of Giant Robo. The story has Giant Robos appearing all over the world and destroying cities. Everything is in the hands of one boy who finds his own Giant Robo in some ancient ruins to save the world. The GR1 that the main character Daisaku pilots looks like a cross between an Egyption pharaoh and Optimus Prime (because of the coloring in this promo shot). The other robots in this show don’t look all that great either, but I guess it’s the style.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho Touhttp://www.majin.tv/
Premieres January 19th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 23:00
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Fridays at 9:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Originating from a series of Playstation and Playstation 2 games, this show is about a group of teenagers with various fighting skills (kendo, wrestling, archery) going up against Oni. But regardless whether or not this turns out to be Tenjou Tenge or Tokko or something similar, it likely won’t be my type of show.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Juusou Kikou Dancouga Novahttp://dancouganova.com/
Premieres February 15th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 22:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Thursdays at 8:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Based on an 80s series with the same Dancouga name, this series is about a huge robot called the Dancouga Nova in the 22nd century that sides with the weak in times of war. This robot has four parts – body, head, left foot, right foot – and four pilots who apparently don’t know the true meaning to the Dancouga Nova’s existence. I like this robot design a bit better than the aforementioned Giant Robo, but you still probably shouldn’t count on me watching this since it airs on Thursdays (though not until February).
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Rocket Girlshttp://www.rocket-girl.jp/
Premieres February 21st, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 24:00
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Wednesdays at 10:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
Rocket Girls replacing Soukou no Strain in the Wednesday night slot on WOWOW. Originally published as a light novel, the plot involves a Solomon Space Agency working to launch the first Japanese manned rocket, but because their current rocket lacks power, they need an astronaut who doesn’t weigh much. Thus, they end up recruiting a high school girl named Yukari who weighs only 38kg (she’s 154 centimeters tall). I think this has one of the more interesting premises of the upcoming season, and since I’m already blogging Soukou no Strain, I might find a way to make room for this once that’s over.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Ikkitousen Dragon Destinyhttp://www.ikkitousen.com/
Premieres February 26th, 2007
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at ?
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Mondays at ?
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo
The first season of Ikkitousen was well known for its level of fanservice as well as fighting. I don’t expect much different from this sequel Dragon Destiny, but it should be noted that the seiyuu for some of the characters have changed, including Saji, Sousou, Kakouton, Kaku, and Kan-u. The staff has changed too, and it’s interesting that the new character designer is Rin Shin who is well known for his hentai work. I may give this a look when the time comes, but that’s still two months away and doesn’t even have an announced airtime yet. For fans of the series, here’s a nice magazine scan to tide you over.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

This covers the 18 series that are premiering in January or February of 2007, which is significantly less than the 37 series I had to go through in the Fall 2006 preview, so I ended up writing slightly more about each show here. Aside from the obvious kiddie shows (like Kyouryuu King and PreCure 5), I also decided not to include REIDEEN or MOONLIGHT MILE because March is still quite a ways away. Anyway, I suspect I’ll have time to pick up around three new shows, and the ones I have marked Guaranteed are looking pretty good to me right now, but we’ll see how things turn out when the time comes.

Note: For a limited time, I have torrented the promos and commercials for Himawari!!, Manabi Straight, Les Miserables Shoujo Cosette, Master of Epic, Saint October, Venus Versus Virus, and Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora. You can find it on Tokyo Tosho or Point-Blank.

The important question is of course, what are you going to be watching?
As always, Comments, Questions, and Suggestions are welcome.

There isn’t a lot of show compared to other seasons, I’ll try:
SHUFFLE
Nodame Cantabile (I liked the drama)
and
Kyoushirou to Towa no Sora;Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! because it seems to interest you a lot!

I’m not really looking forward to any of them … If i HAD to choose i guess it be shuffle memories… but it’s nothing to be hyped about.. for me of course.. i’m no Yuri fan so that Kannazuki no Miko thing isn’t very impressice . I’ll stick with Code geass, Soukou no strain, death Note, and kanon for the spring.

I’m not looking forward to naruto either. Keep in mind this is all my opinion… Thank you for the blog entry OMNI.. Arigatou Gozaimasu!

Wow. none of these are decent show descriptions! they’re all just “i’m gonna watch this, im gonna watch that, me me me mememememe.” ugh. it’s like you want attention for watching television. why not make a blog like “you might enjoy watching this if…” or something? might be nicer, since not everyone wants to hear about what YOU’LL be watching next Thursday or whatever.